Toy Story 3 Teaser

YESSSSSS....

MVPs: Most Valuable Puppets Part 2

In the wake of Lakers just SMASHING then Nuggets tonight, here are some more MVPuppets commercials that came out featuring the Kobe and LeBron puppets for NIKE. They also showed up the other night on SportsCenter to sing the theme song. Check it...

"Babysitting"


"The Infamous Car Jump - ReEnactment"


"SportsCenter Theme"

Love Vintage Gear?

Do you love Unique, Fresh, Vintage gear? Have a couple of spring dollars to spare? Have a small ass? Then you will Liz-ove www.WeMoveVintage.com, it's a site run by a friend of mine with a keen eye for vintage fash. Basically on the site you will find great, intriguing pieces to add to your wardrobe like my personal fave item "The Quest Hoodie" or a "Linear Jumpsuit" or "Goldie Dress".
The site details the discovered items Brand, Condition, Measurements, and Textiles used. Most items are in small to medium sizes but are in excellent condition. Sometimes there are designer treasures that are discovered, if label matters to you. Prices are a little intense but rignt now items can be up to 40% off during their Spring sale. So if you're looking for something different than what all the other ladies have on, hit em up.

Vinylmation Park Series 2

Alright, so, these came out on MAY 22, and I wasnt gonna blog about them, but Malyssa G is so into them that I had to do it for her. But since I am not as impressed as I could be by this series, I am going to rank them in order from my least favorite to my fave. Check it...

Going shopping? If you see a brand new box out, could this be how everything is set up inside?


12. Aquaramouse
It's an aquarium... with a floating rag in it. Is that supposed to be a fish?


11. Toon Town Hole
I already don't like the figures with designs on the back side, but this one is strangely similar to the Urban figure "Who's There".


10. Panda
Boring.


9. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
I like the artwork, but I can't stand the figures that you have to see 360 degrees to enjoy.


8. Monkey
I actually think this one is rather cute, but I don't see the Theme Park connection. This is, after all, the park series.


7. Pongo (Chaser)
OOH so many reasons this was a crappy chaser. A) What does Pongo from 101 Dalmatians have to do with Theme Parks? B) There are already 4 other character figures C) It's ugly D) It's nothing special E) I say so. It only gets to be #7 cuz it isn't as lame as the other stuff in this series, shame shame Vinylmation. This shiz is weak.


6. Poncho
Ok I actually REALLY like this one, although it disobeys my rules about 360 degree design. It is really boring from the front, but on his butt is the little Mickey that is on the back of real Disney Theme Park Ponchos. Even tho he is boring, at lease it relates to the series subject and makes sense. And the detail on the back is kind of charming. I like.


5. Mike Mouse
Love Monsters Inc., Love the Character Inspired figures, Only problem I have with this fig is that its a little plain. Would have rather seen a Sully figure if you were gonna do a Monsters Inc. character.


4. Festival of the Lion King
Im not a big Lion King fan, but this is cute and interesting to look at. Plus, it is based on an actual attraction at Animal Kingdom.


3. Snow White's Scary Adventure
Cute. Detailed. Based on an actual attraction. Stylized. Features familiar characters. Can be enjoyed from the front. I like!


2. Penny Press
Remember Pressing Pennies at theme parks? What a waste of 51 cents, but still SOOO fun. I like that this is a good looking figure while still capturing the magic of those damn change thieves. Cutie Cute!


1. Little Green Men
Ok, maybe I am biased by my love of Toy Story, but hes pretty freaking cute. He's my numero uno. Ha!


Happy Now Malyssa??

MVPs: Most Valuable Puppets

I've been meaning to blog about these Kobe vs LeBron commercials for awhile now. They are so FREAKING hilarious. Basically they are a series of advertisements featuring a Puppet Kobe Bryant and a Puppet LeBron James, living together in a penthouse. They are constantly showboating at one another, arguing who is the better MVP. It's pretty clever. A new commercial debuted last night, called "Mrs. Lewis". There are 3 other ones; "Chalk", "Three Rings", and "Unstoppable". Nike is obviously hoping for a Lakers vs Cavaliers finale in these playoffs, and who isnt? It would be sick to see Kobe and LeBron go head to head, but right now nothing seems set in stone. I'm gonna post the videos here for you to watch, they're great.

Chalk


Three Rings


Unstoppable


Mrs. Lewis

Original "9" Short Film

If the trailer for the upcoming 9 got you as curious as it got me, then you will definitely find the Original short film interesting. It's a 10 minute cg animation with no dialogue written and directed by Shane Acker. What it lacks in dialogue though, it makes up for in tension. This is a brilliant film. The upgrade, which will be released 9-9-09, is an expansion on this film and will include speech from the characters as well as be produced by Tim Burton. I can't wait. The new one looks equally amazing.


Here is the trailer to the new one, It's a different one than I posted earlier this week:

The Princess and The Frog

Heres the new poster and trailer, it looks better than I even imagined. Cant wait!

9 Trailer

Here is the trailer to the new animated film produced by Tim Burton, it is directed by Shane Acker, the director of the original short film

Mimobots Star Wars Series 4

Mimobot announced their Star Wars Series 4 Designer USB flash drives today. I love these things, they are so freaking cute. This is the 4th series for the Star Wars branded Mimobots and this time around they are themed after Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace as it is the 10 year anniversary of Phantom Menace this year. The flash drives will be available for sale June 10th, but until then we will have to wait for the characters to be revealed. The first in the collection revealed is Darth Maul, whom I have to say looks really cool as a flash drive. I absolutely love the face, especially the horns on top of his head. The only problem I have with the design is the placement of his hands, they are drawn on the front, but the body still has little arms sticking out on the sides. :( What's up with that? Oh well.
Not only are mimobots fun to show off when you are transfering files, they also come loaded with cool content; like wallpapers and icons. My favorite feature are these soundeffects called Mimobytes, when you plug the little guys in to your computer they talk. I have the C-3PO from Series 3 and he says fun stuff like "I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations" etc. Pretty Nifty. Anyways, like I said, these are out June 10th, you can snag them on mimoco.com. They come in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB and range from$19.95 to $49.95 and are, of course, limited editions.

Here are the oldies...
Series 1 and 2 at the bottom, 3 on top.

Star Trek Easter Eggs

Just saw "Star Trek" again, this time with a fresh pair of eyes. You know a movie like ST has got to be packed with throwbacks to the original series... and J.J. Abrams fans can rejoice as well, because the film is packed with goodies for you guys too.

Here's some of what I saw in the film and found online:
OG Trek references
(My Personal Favorite) In the scene where we first see Scotty, there is a cage on his desk and you can hear purring. In the cage is a small furry creature. It is a Tribble, a furry pet that does nothing more than eat, reproduce, and bring comfort to humans. It makes it's debut in The Original Series episode "The Trouble With Tribbles". At first you can only see one in the cage, by the end of the scene there are two.

Another item from The Original Series is the Bottle of Saurian Brandy that Kirk uses to bash the cadet over the head in the bar fight. This "Flagon" or Bottle appears in the episode "The Enemy Within".

In a possible Nod at Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Evac kit that Kirk wears when he lands on Delta Vega has a registry code ‘NCC-1701-D’. This is the registry of the USS Enterprise-D, which of course hasn't been built yet and will be captained by Jean-Luc Picard.

In the end credits two songs heard in the movie (”Josh Greenstein” and “Awasoruk Jam”) are listed as being “Written & Performed by Cyrano Jones". Cyrano Jones is the name of the intergalactic trader responsible for introducing tribbles in the OG episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.”

The Vulcan Ship "T'Plana Hath" from the film "Star Trek: First Contact" can be seen in the Shuttlebay of the Narada (Nero's ship).

Scotty says he has been banished because he lost Admiral Archer's prized Beagel. Admiral Archer Captained the original Enterprise NX-01 in the series "Enterprise", his prized Beagel was named Porthos.

The Centurian Slug getting put down Captain Pike's throat is an homage to The Ceti Eel. The Ceti Eels are Slugs that go in your ear and attach to your brain so someone can control you. They are from "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan".

Spock strands Kirk on planet Delta Vega, the same planet he suggested stranding Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell on in the second pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before".


Kirk is eating an Apple during the Kobiyashi Maru test, this is an homage to the scene during "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" where he eats an apple in the Genesis Cave while explaining that he cheated on the test.

Sulu's ability to fence is from a vintage episode "The Naked Time".

Pretty obvious, but the guy in the red suit who dies on the drill is a HUGE reference to the curse of the redshirts. This stems from the original series, in which anonymous security or engineering (red shirts) would go out on landing parties and die to show the severity of the danger in the situation.

There's a quick mention of the USS Farragut when Uhura talks Spock into assigning her to the Enterprise. The Farragut was the ship Kirk served on for several years, prior to his Enterprise command, it's history is described in the episode "Obsession".

There is an alien on board the USS Kelvin in the opening scene that looks a lot like the alien from "Star Trek: The Animated Series".

The Number 47 is constantly reffered to in the Star Trek Universe. Writer Joe Monesky of "The Next Generation" and "Voyager" was a member of "The 47 Society" when he attended Pomona College. (The 47 Society believes there is mathematical proof that all numbers add up to 47) He began to include the number 47 in a lot of the writing. There are several 47's in the new movie;
The dock Kirk pulls up to when he decides to join Starfleet is #47, there are 47 Klingon Warbirds destroyed, etc.

At the end of the movie we see Admiral Pike give Kirk a medal and he's in a wheelchair...
A) The medal can be seen on certain outfits Kirk wore on the Original Series.
B) This is a throwback to the pilot episode of the Original Series. Pike (Jeffery Hunter) was the original Captain of the Enterprise, but no one liked that pilot ("The Cage") so they scrapped him and got Shatner to play Kirk in the 2nd Pilot. Footage from "The Cage" became the basis of the 2 part episode "The Menagerie", in it Kirk is captain and footage of Pike is cut in to appear as if he is fleet captain, later we discover that communication with Pike is impossible, since he has been severely burned and paralyzed by exposure to delta rays, he is confined to a wheelchair operated by brainwaves. He cannot speak, and only communicates with a flashing light: one flash means "yes", two flashes mean "no". Thus, explaining in Canon what happened to Pike. Essentially the final scene with Pike in the wheelchair is a reference to these episodes.
B.2) By the way, the light up wheelchair makes an awesome cameo in the "South Park" episode "Pre-school", used by Miss Claridge.
C) The uniform Admiral Pike wears at the end is very similar to the upgraded outfits Kirk and crew wear in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".



Abrams Easter Eggs
"Tagruato" the fictional company responsible for the release of the "Cloverfield" Monster can be seen in 23rd century San Francisco.

When Uhura orders drinks at the Bar, the Bartender recommends the "Slusho". "Slusho" is also from "Cloverfield" it is a drink made by the Tagrauto Corporation that's main ingredient is seabed nectar. Seabed Nectar is the Cloverfield Monster's main food source. "Slusho" is also referenced in an episode of Abrams' show "Alias". An image of the Slusho appears on the menu when Uhura orders it.

The Same fonts from Abrams' latest show "Fringe" are used to show the audience the locations and times (like IOWA and THREE YEARS LATER)

Thanks to Thai-Duong for pointing out that Kirk rides through Iowa on his motorcycle in the same method used for the Bad Robot logo

The Red Ball. In most of Abrams' projects you will see a red ball, most notably in "Alias" where it is part of the Rambaldi storyline. In Star Trek it is the ball of Red Matter.

Greg Grunberg has cameos in almost all of Abrams' movies and shows. He was Eric Weiss on "Alias" and the Pilot that dies in the first episode of "LOST", but his scene as Kirk's step-father was cut. He can still be heard as the voice in the car.

Star Wars References?
Paramount has just started a contest through their "Star Trek Facebook page". Contestants need to point out which scene has an "R2-D2" from "Star Wars" in it. If you know the answer, email it to facebook@paramount.com with "STAR TREK Easter Egg Sweepstakes" in the subject line for a chance to win an official prop from the film STAR TREK. (It is supposedly the moment where the Enterprise comes out of warp speed into the remains of the other starships).

Also, Apparently when the ship assignments are being read out you can hear "Vader, USS Hood".

Star Trek

Yo Yo.
I saw "Star Trek" yesterday in IMAX. It was sickzilla. SOO GOOOD! Beyond So Good. AHH I can't wait to watch it again. This officially knocks "Cloverfield" from my top JJ Abrams movie, (ok, i'm sorry, that's a lie. I love "Cloverfield"). Where do I start? First of all, seeing it in IMAX was a great decision. It looked so crisp and clear, not too mention way bigger than a standard screen. The effects were great the whole picture through. There was one shot where some ships didn't really feel like they fit in, but I think that had to with the IMAX blowing it up. Otherwise great computer work. The soundtrack was perfect, it blended action and comedy just right. Photography was typical Abrams, which I love. Technically a very sound film. Now we get to the acting. I knew I was gonna love the cast as soon as I heard it announced. Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as McCoy, Anton Yelchin as Checov, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu, and Simon Pegg as Scotty. OK, the standouts for me had to be Quinto playing a perfect Spock, Simon Pegg doing a hilarious Scotty that was reminiscent of the OG but not a straight copy, and My Love Karl Urban as McCoy. Even I was impressed by his acting chops in this, it truly captured the comedic dead pan Deforest Kelley had in the original. Urban's performance, completely unbiased, was the best of the film. Zoe Saldana's Uhura and John Cho's Sulu are a bit different from their 1960's counterparts, she is a bit more sensual and he is a little more badass, but it works for me. Anton Yelchin is another actor I admire, he doesn't really get too much storyline to shine in, but he does great with what he does have. His Checov is a bit of a blend of old and new. Where he doesn't necessarily look like Checov, he does sound exactly like him, rockin' a harsh Russian accent and changing all his V's to W's. He also shares that same youthful enthusiasm and wonder of the original character, so I liked it. In fact, the only performance that left me a little empty was Chris Pine as Kirk. I mean he was great; Cocky, Arrogant, and somewhat relatable. I actually think it was the writing that did the character any injustice. I read an article where Abrams said his goal to make you understand why Kirk is the way he is, I just don't think he completely achieved that in this film. That aside, the best part of this film was that it retained the wit and comedy of the Original series. The trio of Kirk, Spock, and Bones play off each other so well. I laughed so hard sometimes in the theater that I would catch myself clapping, and I wasn't the only one. Those were in fact my favorite moments in the film. When we saw the characters play off each other's differences. Granted, some of the classic lines seemed a little forced, like they were stuck into scenes. But still really good. Ok, so now for the bad guys. Romulans played by Eric Bana. On paper, great idea. Romulans haven't been featured baddies for a while now. So it is nice to see them as opposed to Klingons. Eric Bana as the head baddie Nero actually gets little face time. His performance seemed a bit average, as did all the other Romulans. BUT since you don't really see that much of them, you just rely on your knowledge that they are not good dudes and you are set. Trust me, this sounds negative, but the movie honestly is so good. Anyways, there are several OG series references, several "Wrath of Khan" references, so Trekkies can rejoice. The storyline itself is definitely the weakest part, which has plagued many of the ST films. So Thumbs Up to the Writing, Thumbs Down to the Propostorous Story. If you like Comedic Science Fiction-y Action then you'll be satiated. Fans of Films like "Starship Troopers", the newer "Star Wars" films (1-3) , or obviously the "Star Trek" franchise, or fans of Simon Pegg's old TV show "Spaced" will be into this.